Started in 1981 with the basic box set. Couldn't find players so I played the solo module like 1,000 times. Bargle always killed the cleric every time. I still get broken up about that...

wbrandel

01-13-2009, 04:25 PM

Most definetly an old timer here. Started with D&D (boxed edition) in 1981 with my brother as DM. Been playing ever since but not just D&D.

tesral

01-13-2009, 05:03 PM

I was following a white Durango today that made me scratch my head. Was driving down the road sideways. Tesral, you get into a slide and smack the curb too hard?

I have a Ford Wagon these days. That old beast was T boned in a big way and I bought it for the dust in my pocket. It ran, I was needy.

Started in 1981 with the basic box set. Couldn't find players so I played the solo module like 1,000 times. Bargle always killed the cleric every time. I still get broken up about that...

Most definetly an old timer here. Started with D&D (boxed edition) in 1981 with my brother as DM. Been playing ever since but not just D&D.

KIDS! Get off my lawn! Ain't need no dentures, I got a BEAK! :biggrin:

Jcosby

01-13-2009, 06:34 PM

Well, I was reading this post and I was trying to think back to 1976/77 and try to remember when I first played D&D (Red Box). I went over to an older friends out and they were playing a regular home game with the Red Box rules and the DM was nice enough to let a complete noob join the group. I remember rolling up a Human Cleric, but I didn't realize you need to purchase equipment so when the first encounter came and the DM asked me what weapon I was wielding and what my AC was... I was like "huh"... I didn't have any equipment, armor or weapons... So, after the fight it was amazing that we found a dead adventurer just about my size with a bag full of gear, a mace and armor that was also just my size. :)

After that night I was completely hooked. I was about 7-8 years old, and I wanted to play every day. My mom bought my the Red Box shortly after for Xmas and I later would take the bus down to the FLGS "The Muse" in Seal Beach and buy modules, and the new AD&D books. The Amount of hours my friends and I played AD&D back then is mind boggling. Sometimes we would start right after school on Friday afternoon and play in my garage on the ping-pong table until late Sunday night. Stopping only go to the bathroom and eat something quick.

I was also very fortunate that in Los Alamitos CA we had a "Teen Center" run by the united way that had pool tables, ping-pong foosball etc.. and on Friday and Saturday nights we were able to stay late and play AD&D as one of the Teen Center Councilors was an avid role-player as well.

Playing during school in the library, until we were kicked out for being to loud.. I had one teacher my drama teacher that really like Role-playing as well so he would sign us up for the teachers conference room at lunch each day since no teachers wanted to use the room during lunch.

Brings back a lot of memories.. Kind of crazy to think I've been playing one form of D&D/AD&D for over 30 years now. Lots of good games have come and gone.. Boot Hill, Gamma World, Paranoid, Top Secret, Traveler, Earth Dawn, and many more.. but in the end.. it's always D&D that we keep on playing.

Oh and back then.. back when it was OrcCon 1, 2, 3... back when the Cons were really big and fun.. those were the days.

JC

Etarnon

01-14-2009, 05:22 AM

I started gaming in 1977, with Traveller, as referee at age 11. No idea what I was doing, but i liked the orbital equations, and the real world physics of it. I rolled up I guess 500 basic planets. So many ideas from that game.

I was trying to capture the flavor of Star Wars, Asimov, Heinlein, and Andre Norton all rolled into one campaign.

A blast.

In 1978, we started playing Gamma World. Nice thing about 2nd ed gamma world that came later, set in "Pitz-Burk", my hometown. So we went down to the Nat'l Geographic survey office on wood street (as I recall) and got a terrain contour map sheet of the actual city, and used that, and pitched out the sloppy green, red and yellow 2e GW map that TSR had made.

Then we went around to places where adventures were and looked at buildings and imagined ivy, and flying fungus things with radiation eyes attacking.

Along about that time, I got a copy of the blue book original D&D. I guess Holmes edition. I got 6 copies of it now.

1979, Discovered AD&D 1e. The Big three books were a smash hit, and we played and played. Dungeon tiles, minis, crystal dice sets.

I last ran Spycraft 2.0 as DM in November, a six month campaign, using real world CIA fact book maps of Venezuela.

I turned 43 on the 12th of January.

I play as a dwarf in cplmac's 2e "Tjoscanth / Greyhawk" game, with a half dozen people, mostly guys, two women.

I'm developing a 3e game campaign to be played via open RPG.

cplmac

01-14-2009, 11:53 AM

And a fine job is being done by Etarnon playing the Dwarf, Flemin. For details, check out the Tsojcanth campaign log on my blog. It shows that he has been gaming for that long of a time. Although we are just about the same age, Etarnon has definately been at it longer than I. I started in 1991 while over in the Persian Gulf War.

On the flip side of this topic, it looks as if this coming Saturday, we will have 3 new players with our group. One of them is the child of another and is 11 and wants to learn how to play. At least we will have seasoned players, of varying time lengths, to start this new person on the path to RPGing. Like has been said by others here on the site, it is up to the veteran RPGers to help get the new folks going.

Webhead

01-14-2009, 12:27 PM

...In 1978, we started playing Gamma World. Nice thing about 2nd ed gamma world that came later, set in "Pitz-Burk", my hometown. So we went down to the Nat'l Geographic survey office on wood street (as I recall) and got a terrain contour map sheet of the actual city, and used that, and pitched out the sloppy green, red and yellow 2e GW map that TSR had made.

Then we went around to places where adventures were and looked at buildings and imagined ivy, and flying fungus things with radiation eyes attacking...

I wanna play/run a good game of Gamma World 2e in the near future. Back when a photon grenade actually meant something.

Omega World is a pretty awesome retooling of the game to work with the d20 System, but I just wanna play some original 2e. :cool:

Etarnon

01-14-2009, 01:32 PM

Yeah great stuff.

Most people are like, "Gamma World? what's that?" Fun, if you can just let go of any sort of scientific realism, and just have a blast and be silly...I mean, manheaded snakes with electric fans, anyone?

Definitely 4 color, and off the beaten path, but for players willing to let go, there it is...

Then again, it's no more outlandish than D&D. Just swap out guns with crossbows, mutations with spells, robots with golems and ancient technology with magical artifacts and you've got almost the exact same game. In fact, when first conceived, Gamma World was little more than "D&D with radiation and guns".

Talmek

01-14-2009, 02:42 PM

Gamma World, huh?

By saying this I'm sure to be giving away how new I am to the world of table-top RPGs, but when was Gamma World popular? Or perhaps it was one of those that only made it into certain circles of gamers?

Too lazy to look it up!

Webhead

01-14-2009, 03:19 PM

Gamma World, huh?

By saying this I'm sure to be giving away how new I am to the world of table-top RPGs, but when was Gamma World popular? Or perhaps it was one of those that only made it into certain circles of gamers?

Too lazy to look it up!

Gamma World went through 5 editions with TSR from 1978 to 2000. The first 4 editions used their own unique game engines while the 5th edition used the Alternity game system also published by TSR. A 6th "edition" was published for the d20 System by White Wolf under their Sword & Sorcery Studios imprint in 2003.

There was also a homage mini-RPG called Omega World which was published in an issue of Polyhedron Magazine. It also used the d20 System as presented in the D&D 3.0 corebooks.

Of the various versions, 2nd Edition and Omega World are my personal favorites and generally the most highly regarded by fans.

You can read more about Gamma World's long and complicated history here:

http://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Gamma_World#Fifth_edition_.282000.29

jerrykimbro

01-19-2009, 11:27 AM

I thought NO ONE rmembered Metamorphosis Alpha. It was my first RPG game way back in '77. Took the leap in to basic D&D a year later with the boxed edition and the new Monster Manual that i ordered from TSR in the mail from Lake Geneva. I started my first (and still on going) D&D campaign based on Judge's Guild Blackmoortown and City-State of the Invincible Overlord.

I also GMed (and still do) a Gamma World campaign- and only play first edition to this day of all these games.

Just reading that other people played them too- well it takes me back and makes me smile. I am an old Timer. My gosh! I have found me a home.

:)

Arch Lich Thoth-Amon

01-19-2009, 12:27 PM

I have Metamorphosis Alpha and the complete collection of the old Gamma World. I just moved up to the Bay Area and would love to get a game going. Gamma World has got to be one of the most memorable games i've ever played.

It's nice to see so many other fans on this site.

Etarnon

01-19-2009, 09:08 PM

I've been trying to get the original metamorphosis alpha off of Ebay for about two years. It's always too expensive.

I finally had to settle with the newer edition reprint.

There's a chance I might run Gamma World in Pittsburgh this summer. turns out half of cplmac's group has played it before. And as far as 2nd edition, it is set in "Pitz-Burke"

:)
Good stuff.

kirksmithicus

01-20-2009, 03:24 PM

I hated playing Gamma world. For some reason It always came across as D&D with lasers, or D&D meets Thundar the Barbarian (and they don't like each other). Maybe it was just our GM.

nijineko

01-20-2009, 03:30 PM

good old gamma world. ^^ brings back memories. =D

Webhead

01-20-2009, 05:00 PM

I hated playing Gamma world. For some reason It always came across as D&D with lasers, or D&D meets Thundar the Barbarian (and they don't like each other). Maybe it was just our GM.

Probably. I've not played as much of Gamma World as I would have liked, but I've never had a bad experience with the game, nor does anyone who I personally know who played it. But no game, no matter how awesome is completely immune to suck-ery. I've witnessed it happen.

Personally, I find Gamma World so much cooler than vanilla D&D (i.e. D&D as presented in non-unique settings such as Dark Sun or Planescape), but then, I'm admittedly weird.

I also similarly have nothing but great memories of Deadlands: Hell on Earth, which is a pretty blatant play on and homage to Gamma World. The system was a little funky but the game sessions were overflowing with awesome.

Skunkape

01-20-2009, 11:25 PM

I still hear stories about my Gamma World campaigns from my then players from time to time. We don't really game in the same group so much anymore, mostly due to differences in schedules, but I feel honored that the campaign is still talked about 20 odd years later!:D

kirksmithicus

01-21-2009, 01:00 AM

I still hear stories about my Gamma World campaigns from my then players from time to time. We don't really game in the same group so much anymore, mostly due to differences in schedules, but I feel honored that the campaign is still talked about 20 odd years later!:D

Now that's a good campaign. :D

Etarnon

01-21-2009, 04:21 AM

Same here. It's just a combo of so off the wall, so utterly dramatic, so specific flavor.

People tell me stories of what we did almost 30 years ago.

Kalanth

01-21-2009, 09:15 AM

I started playing D&D in 1985 with the red box, but did not really start getting into the game until I experienced my first real campaign in the summer of 1994. I was truly hooked from there to D&D, and RPG's in general. Since the 90's I have played every edition of D&D, Classic Marvel Super Heroes, West End Games Star Wars, Paladium, Rifts, Shadowrun, Cyber Punk, a diceless Marvel Comics game I can't remember the name of, Vampire, Werewolf, d20 Star Wars and d20 Modern.

I am of the group that if you offer me a chance to RP and play with a group of people who enjoy using their imaginations then I am definetly in. Over these 23 years I have only played in two real campaigns that went anywhere, but there have been so many games with memorable moments that more than make up for those games failing.

Webhead

01-21-2009, 10:11 AM

...a diceless Marvel Comics game I can't remember the name of...

If it used a deck of cards, then it was probably the Marvel SAGA system. If it used "stones" or "tokens" instead of dice, then it was probably the Marvel Universe RPG.

...Over these 23 years I have only played in two real campaigns that went anywhere, but there have been so many games with memorable moments that more than make up for those games failing.

Yes, I have been in only a very few campaigns that really "ended" in a story sense and didn't just "fizzle out". But even those campaigns that "fizzled" (and some were long-running) were almost always filled with great moments that we still talk about. In fact, even some of the shortest campaigns are among the most memorable in our group.

Kalanth

01-21-2009, 12:20 PM

If it used a deck of cards, then it was probably the Marvel SAGA system. If it used "stones" or "tokens" instead of dice, then it was probably the Marvel Universe RPG.

Marvel Universe, thats the one. Looked it up real quick to make sure, thanks for jogging my memory about a game that I (personally) just did not want to remember... :D

Webhead

01-21-2009, 12:39 PM

Marvel Universe, thats the one. Looked it up real quick to make sure, thanks for jogging my memory about a game that I (personally) just did not want to remember... :D

Marvel Universe was a very interesting idea (so interesting that I made the mistake of buying it) but the execution was so badly flawed and full of holes that I had to get rid of it (and it went out of print shortly thereafter). It's a real tragedy because I could see the spirit behind the game and it really could have rocked, but as published it required so much house-ruling and gap-filling that it really wasn't worth the trouble to me. I'd rather spend that time and energy playing the original Marvel Super Heroes game...so that's essentially what I did. I really wanna play MSH again. Great game.

Kalanth

01-21-2009, 12:52 PM

Marvel Universe was a very interesting idea (so interesting that I made the mistake of buying it) but the execution was so badly flawed and full of holes that I had to get rid of it (and it went out of print shortly thereafter). It's a real tragedy because I could see the spirit behind the game and it really could have rocked, but as published it required so much house-ruling and gap-filling that it really wasn't worth the trouble to me. I'd rather spend that time and energy playing the original Marvel Super Heroes game...so that's essentially what I did. I really wanna play MSH again. Great game.

My friends and I realized that Marvel Universe was not for us when we put Gambit and Juggernaut against each other. Doing the same action every round over and over Gambit would inevitably win because his damage was higher than Juggernauts defense. That was the first day and last day we played that game.

Somewhere out there a fan site exsits for the Classic Marvel Super Heroes and has all the original books available for download. I grabbed all those some time ago and printed them out at Kinko's some time back. That is a great game to play when you want a break from whats out there, and so much easier to get into than the super hero games out there now. Aside from a house rule here and there it was hard to go wrong with an all d100 system to handle EVERYTHING. I love that game.

Webhead

01-21-2009, 01:26 PM

...Somewhere out there a fan site exsits for the Classic Marvel Super Heroes and has all the original books available for download. I grabbed all those some time ago and printed them out at Kinko's some time back. That is a great game to play when you want a break from whats out there, and so much easier to get into than the super hero games out there now. Aside from a house rule here and there it was hard to go wrong with an all d100 system to handle EVERYTHING. I love that game.

That site was www.classicmarvel.com (http://www.classicmarvel.com) but something seems to have happened to it in the last few days! It's currently down! It wasn't down a few days ago when I last visited! :hurt:

I hope this is just temporary server problems or something because that was the most complete, useful and awesome resource out there for the MSH game. Please let it just be temporary! Please! :pray:

Kalanth

01-21-2009, 09:08 PM

I hope that comes back up, I love that site! When I played that game regularly I even went out of my way to write two homebrew suppliment books to include additional Karma rules based on the modern direction of comic books and an expanded weapons collection. Ah good times, goood times.

RealmsDM

01-22-2009, 01:00 PM

Anyone here ever play the Top Secret S.I. rpg? It was a campy spy rpg put out by TSR in the late 70's, and lasted into the early 80's. It was a percentile skill system that actually worked well enough to have fun with it.

Arch Lich Thoth-Amon

01-22-2009, 01:47 PM

We still talk about our Gamma World games near 3 decades later. Seems everytime i connect with old friends, inevitably, the topic of Gamma World comes up. It's funny, every time we talk about past adventures, it's like we played it only yesterday.

Good times!

Webhead

01-22-2009, 01:57 PM

We still talk about our Gamma World games near 3 decades later. Seems everytime i connect with old friends, inevitably, the topic of Gamma World comes up. It's funny, every time we talk about past adventures, it's like we played it only yesterday.

Good times!

We have Star Wars, D&D, Werewolf and Deadlands stories that float around like that. It's like we're still playing those campaigns...

Arch Lich Thoth-Amon

01-22-2009, 01:57 PM

Anyone here ever play the Top Secret S.I. rpg? It was a campy spy rpg put out by TSR in the late 70's, and lasted into the early 80's. It was a percentile skill system that actually worked well enough to have fun with it.
I have plenty of Top Secret games at my old address down south. If ever i get out there i will have to send my books to my new location. I moved up in a vette, and anyone who is familiar with vettes knows that they are lacking baggage space.

As far as which Top Secret you're referring to, i'm not sure which ones i own. I just pick them up from time to time, when the price is right, with the intent to begin another game. I have some good memories from those times... usually getting blown away, or in one instance getting my ultra cool martial artist James Bond-ish type, Bruce Lee worshipping, character's butt kicked buy some incredibly HOT 5 foot, 90 lbs, japanese yakusa assassin. The whole group got such a laugh from that. Of course, my guy did deserve it for he was overflowing with confidence... his downfall.:D

Nord_drache

01-22-2009, 07:52 PM

Anyone here ever play the Top Secret S.I. rpg? It was a campy spy rpg put out by TSR in the late 70's, and lasted into the early 80's. It was a percentile skill system that actually worked well enough to have fun with it.
I remember Top Secret very fondly:) I found I could add to the gear quite easily and expand stuff out. A couple of us did very small games player number wise - cause it felt right. We also tended to add in spy novels etc we read into the mix!

Personally I like Palladium's Ninjas and Superspies - if you like the Palladium system (since its the same across the board - Rifts, RPG, Heroes unlimited etc) you'll love it. Especially if you like Martial Arts and if you want to put a dose Far East exotic in add Mystic China.:D
--- Merged from Double Post ---

We have Star Wars, D&D, Werewolf and Deadlands stories that float around like that. It's like we're still playing those campaigns...

I think this is true of any of the games, if a character did somethingh memorable . . .

The only folk with more stories than old war vets are old gamers :laugh:

Etarnon

01-23-2009, 01:36 AM

Or old war vet veteran gamers.

I have everything or Top secret, and Top Secret SI in print.

Kalanth

01-23-2009, 09:22 AM

Or old war vet veteran gamers.

Ah yes, the memories I have of playing D&D in the deserts of Iraq are to be cherrished I tell you! Introduced a lot of good people to the game out there.

Arch Lich Thoth-Amon

01-23-2009, 11:41 AM

Or old war vet veteran gamers.

I have everything or Top secret, and Top Secret SI in print.
Thoth nods his respect to Etarnon. It must be one awesome collection.

nijineko

01-23-2009, 06:19 PM

now there was some interesting concepts in top secret.

Webhead

01-23-2009, 06:34 PM

I've seen loose Top Secret books at local used book stores from time to time but have never played it. A friend once started putting a Spycraft campaign together and I even made a character (a Wheelman) in preparation for the game, but it never came to pass.

The "spy" genre is probably one of the only mainstream RPG genres that I have never played in. I've played in virtually everything else in some fashion (sci fi, fantasy, western, supers, martial arts, pirates, cyberpunk, steampunk, horror, post-apocalyptic...anything else I'm leaving out?).

nijineko

01-23-2009, 07:11 PM

straight up modern, historical, primitive age... off the top of my head?

cplmac

01-23-2009, 08:18 PM

Ah yes, the memories I have of playing D&D in the deserts of Iraq are to be cherrished I tell you! Introduced a lot of good people to the game out there.

Hmmm... Very Interesting! OK, Kalanth, what unit were you with over in Iraq? I am assuming that it was on the second go around. I was with the 2nd Marine Division in 1991. So I guess that I can partially jump on the wagon with Etarnon.

I also remember playing Top Secret back around 1982 or so. One of the neighbor kids had got it, but we only played a couple of times.

Etarnon

01-24-2009, 01:14 AM

Space opera, as a genre distinct from Sci fi...plus pulp, plus cliffhanger (as a subgenre of pulp). You might throw "action film" as a genre in there with that game system, i forget just now that has "Die and Die Again" as an adventure.

Then you could get obscure, with Spoof Horror with "It came from the late late late late show" < that's a game, lol.

You could get real obscure and go spicy stories too but that's such a non game unless welded to fit, paint to match that most people have never seen the original material let alone play something derived from it.

Yeah, the collection is in fact larger than that of most game stores. It was mostly derived from game stores that went out of business, when Magic Crashed, and most of the stores in Dayton Ohio died off.

And Spycraft rocks on toast. I like Spycraft 2.0 better but 1.0 is pretty good.

Dark

01-24-2009, 08:09 AM

Gamma World, Boot Hill, and D&D great times with all three for me. I have all the original as well as pdf .

Kalanth

01-24-2009, 09:01 AM

Hmmm... Very Interesting! OK, Kalanth, what unit were you with over in Iraq? I am assuming that it was on the second go around. I was with the 2nd Marine Division in 1991. So I guess that I can partially jump on the wagon with Etarnon.

I also remember playing Top Secret back around 1982 or so. One of the neighbor kids had got it, but we only played a couple of times.

Actually, no. 21st LGS with the USAF during Operation Enduring Freedom. Spent 2002 in Afghanistan, 2003 in Iraq, and 2004 in a hospital, but I would not trade that for the world.

cplmac

01-24-2009, 10:49 PM

Actually, no. 21st LGS with the USAF during Operation Enduring Freedom. Spent 2002 in Afghanistan, 2003 in Iraq, and 2004 in a hospital, but I would not trade that for the world.

Bummer about the stint in the hospital. Hope everything is fine now. I was in Saudi Arabia in 1991. That was where I first played D&D. Of course, after I got out, I quickly found that now instead of being a player, I had to be the DM. Fortunately, the DM that I played under was very good and I had a good role model to emulate.

Webhead

01-25-2009, 02:07 AM

That site was www.classicmarvel.com (http://www.classicmarvel.com) but something seems to have happened to it in the last few days! It's currently down! It wasn't down a few days ago when I last visited! :hurt:

I hope this is just temporary server problems or something because that was the most complete, useful and awesome resource out there for the MSH game. Please let it just be temporary! Please! :pray:

Whew! I've finally gotten this issue sorted out. Classic Marvel is still alive and kicking. It has just been moved to the following website:

Bummer about the stint in the hospital. Hope everything is fine now. I was in Saudi Arabia in 1991. That was where I first played D&D. Of course, after I got out, I quickly found that now instead of being a player, I had to be the DM. Fortunately, the DM that I played under was very good and I had a good role model to emulate.

Yep, all is well. Got me a fancy metal hip, disability pay, and a much less violent lifestyle now. Even have a buddy comming into town this comming weekend so I am thrilled about that.

Whew! I've finally gotten this issue sorted out. Classic Marvel is still alive and kicking. It has just been moved to the following website:

If there are more people interested, I would run a MSH PbP game here. Just gotta let me know. :)

Oldgamer

01-25-2009, 05:27 PM

Hmmm... Very Interesting! OK, Kalanth, what unit were you with over in Iraq? I am assuming that it was on the second go around. I was with the 2nd Marine Division in 1991. So I guess that I can partially jump on the wagon with Etarnon.

I was in Co. C 3rd Recon Bn. in '91 :) Airborne SCUD hunters, find 'em, paint 'em, blow 'em up! :) Then in '92, Charlie Co stood down and we got transferred to Bravo, then I got out as they got scuttled around again in '93.

Drizzit red

01-26-2009, 08:31 AM

Been playing RPGs since I could walk....so I guess that makes me an old timer.

I remember sitting in the dark living room of my buddies house playing the very first Zelda. That game was the cat's meow back then.

Then I got into D&d with a DM that could tell you what book and what page in that book you could find the information you were looknig for.

He still DMs in my group....Me, him, and one of our up and comers all take turns DMing now.

Kalanth

01-27-2009, 09:30 AM

If there are more people interested, I would run a MSH PbP game here. Just gotta let me know. :)

You run the PbP and I am so in!

Webhead

01-27-2009, 01:24 PM

You run the PbP and I am so in!

Call-out created in the Campaign Invitation forum. Go take a look.

Zijixiong

01-27-2009, 07:44 PM

I don't consider myself an "old-timer", at least in comparison to many posters here.

With my mother's money, I obtained my first D&D Boxed Set when I was young. I think it was when I was 10 (around 1990). It was basic D&D, not AD&D, and I tried to include it in family game night. It didn't take with them, but I was hooked. I bought a few more boxed sets before I eventually bought the Complete Book of Elves (TSR PHBR8), thinking it was for D&D because I had no idea there was a difference between D&D basic and AD&D. It was another year before I purchased my first AD&D PHB, and only a few weeks after that before I purchased the DMG.

By 1994, I was getting a little curious as to what else was out there. I found Shadowrun, Renegade Legion, and, eventually, Earthdawn from FASA. After I picked up my first copy of Werewolf: the Apocalypse it marked the beginning of my dedicated search for everything gaming.

I've now read the rules for quite a great deal of games, and I've played a few of them. I've even run a select few, and I look forward to passing on the practice to my girlfriend's child.

upidstay

02-01-2009, 10:31 AM

At TotalCon this year, Frank Mentzer is DMing a bunch of modules. He worked with Gygax et. al at TSR back in the early 80's and is the founder of the RPGA. Very psyched to have him running my first game at he con. "Remember when...". It's all about playing rookie characters in the original basic/expert set rules. Cannot frickin' wait.

nijineko

02-02-2009, 04:03 AM

sounds nostalgic....

Etarnon

02-02-2009, 10:09 AM

I'm going to be running an intro to 1st ed AD&D game in the South Hills of Pittsburgh, saturdays....But I'm not frank Mentzer. lol

Does getting rejected by Dragon magazine 5 times count?

tesral

02-02-2009, 01:05 PM

I'm going to be running an intro to 1st ed AD&D game in the South Hills of Pittsburgh, saturdays....But I'm not frank Mentzer. lol

Does getting rejected by Dragon magazine 5 times count?

One might almost see that as a recommendation going on what got into Dragon.

nijineko

02-03-2009, 12:14 AM

(snicker) ^^

Etarnon

02-03-2009, 04:59 AM

Well, I rather enjoyed Dragon when it was in print. I subscribed to it, and Omni.

tesral

02-03-2009, 09:18 AM

Well, I rather enjoyed Dragon when it was in print. I subscribed to it, and Omni.

Omni, there is a name I haven't heard in a while. Generally was a good zine.

I subscribed to Dragon as well. I still have hundreds of the things laying about the house. However quality ran from excellent to ghodd-awful. Frankly some of their suggestions I wouldn't feed to my dog, if I had a dog.

nijineko

02-03-2009, 01:56 PM

despite my snickering, i find the dragon stuff quite handy, if ranging in "usability" from great to horrible. if you check out the campaigns i'm running, you'll find that i explicitly allow material from "100% official wotc sources" to include dragon and dungeon (as printed on the cover) and the website. it hasn't caused me problems yet... though i can't say the same for my players.... ^^

Drizzit red

02-05-2009, 03:31 PM

I do believe that some of the spells in the spell compendium are from the Dragon magazine...I could be mistaken though.

Even though some of the articles in the magazine may have been below par, there was still some usable ideas in there. Even if it is only bits and pieces of the article.

Even pre-made adventures get changed and re-arranged by me. Rarely will I follow what is written down....always have to place my twist in there.

Oldgamer

02-06-2009, 08:11 AM

I think the first thing I used from Dragon magazine in the 80's was the Half-ogre race, I fell in love with monster races then, so naturally when 3.0 and 3.5 came along with templates to use, I think it took me months to get back to playing a core race again :)

cpljarhead

02-08-2009, 05:11 PM

thats the fun in 3rd and 3.5 in that you can create untold types of charracters using creatures and templates. myself i remember the basic set and playing at that early age. i am in todays gaming world more or less considered am old timer in age and gaming. i've been gaming roughly 30 years. and almost all of it has been d&d.

kirksmithicus

02-09-2009, 12:05 AM

Back in 1936 I was a walkin' over to Shelbyville and I had this turnip on my belt. That was the style back in those days, not to mention it was a +5 turnip.

Webhead

02-09-2009, 12:56 AM

Back in 1936 I was a walkin' over to Shelbyville and I had this turnip on my belt. That was the style back in those days, not to mention it was a +5 turnip.

...I've got a funny story about turnips! Actually, it's not so much funny as it is long and complicated...

...and to take the ferry it cost a nickel. Of course, back in those days nickels had pictures of bumble bees on them! "Gimme five bees for a quarter", you'd say. Now where was I? Oh yes, so the ferry ran from the docks off 6th Avenue to the...

CelestialBarbarian

02-09-2009, 02:21 AM

How long have you folks been playing? Curious how many old timers we have here.

I started with the Basic Set in 1979. Bought it with my birthday money, at age 9. My first character was an Elf. Elf was a class back then, as was dwarf and halfling. There were 3 kinds of swords, a Short Sword, a 2 handed sword, or just a Sword. 1st level clerics got no spells. Elves could not progress past level 8 or so. Then you had to buy the "Expert Set". No one had ever heard of a Drow, let alone one with twin scimitars and an unpronouncable name. I do remember having a statue of a dog or something that would animate and follow me around though...

Anybody raid the armory in "The Keep on the Borderlands"?? Lost 2 good characters on the "Isle of Dread".
Now I have 2 kids, a mortgage and a job, so I don't get to play very often...

I started playing in 1978 when I went away to college. We used original D&D in the white box. I don't recall my first character because my first DM, Andrew, relentlessly killed all of our characters for a long time. I can recall going through several characters in one night. At one point I was playing dumb dwarf fighters and I just called them Me Kill. So there was Me Kill, and Me Kill II, or MK II for sort, and if I recall correctly, I got all the way through MK IV that night. :biggrin:

I still play D&D. I never played the Basic set or its follow-ons, but I've played 1st Ed (AD&D), 2nd Ed, and 3rd Ed (3.0 and 3.5). I currently run a campaign I've been running for going on 7 years. I played the least in the mid-1990s during my first Ph.D. program, but even during my second Ph.D. program I never quit because D&D people have been some of the best, most generous, most helpful and most intelligent people I've known over the decades. :)

Etarnon

02-09-2009, 04:10 AM

I never quit because D&D people have been some of the best, most generous, most helpful and most intelligent people I've known over the decades.

That's been my experience, about 90% of the time.

I like the players. I like teaching the game. +5 turnips are banned from my low magic games.

lol.

CelestialBarbarian

02-09-2009, 04:27 AM

That's been my experience, about 90% of the time.

I like the players. I like teaching the game. +5 turnips are banned from my low magic games.

lol.

When I was moving from Westminster to Denver, I'd barely managed to pack anything before the day the movers were coming. I called one of my D&D buddies and he rushed over and threw stuff into boxes so that the movers could start to take out my stuff when they arrived. When I moved from Denver to Iowa, two different D&D buddies, neither of whom was even playing in a game with me anymore, came over at different times and helped me back. One actually packed, along with another friend of mine, when I had to rush over and get a new drivers license before driving across the country (because the first one had accidentally knocked my drivers license into a box he packed). When I moved from Iowa to Virginia, at least four D&D friends, including at least one no longer playing in a group with me, came over at various times and helped me back. At least one brought boxes, and one took my old running shoes (a bunch of pairs) to the Salvation Army for me. I had people who were allegedly closer friends who refused to help me at all.

When a current player of mine moved from an apartment to a house, I organized our group to go help him and his wife load the moving van. One of the players made a big fuss about how he NEVER helps people move. He and his wife had barely joined the group, so if they hadn't come, that would have been fine, but the other player and I distinctly recall that he just had to make a big fuss over never helping anyone move. His wife, however, came without him, and did help. She also ended up divorcing him the same year we kicked him out of the group for ranting and raving about how stupid we all were and what lousy players.

Sure, I've met lots of jerks and creeps in D&D--people who played specifically to ruin things for other players, people who had a little trouble distinguishing between the game and reality, and people who would go out of their way to show you how selfish they were (as I said above)--but I've also always been able to count on people whom I met through D&D. Other than my family, I can't say that of too many people.

Nord_drache

02-09-2009, 09:51 PM

. . .I never quit because D&D people have been some of the best, most generous, most helpful and most intelligent people I've known over the decades. :)

I agree with this also about 90% - in college when you have new friends who go all out to make you welcome, and later help out even when they don't have to.
Some of my best friends have been made through gaming, and some others I've strengthened my ties with them through gaming.
I started gaming about 1979 - 1st ed. after 6 months of playing started DMing. I guess our DM and one of my best friends liked my style, and I haven't stopped running or playing in games. I lost that same friend when he died on my 18th birthday in a car accident - his parents passed all his gaming gear and books to me.:(
The friends made in those 30 years . . . wow:)!!!

Though why is it that as gamers when we get the occasional bone head they're real pieces of work! :mad:

Jim

JayJurczynski

02-09-2009, 10:52 PM

I think I started playing in 1976. Could have been a year or 2 later. I just remember how relieved I was that there was a combat game that my friend wouldn't always kick my butt at. I came to hate the term "war game" and Avalon Hill:o, but found I loved this new combat/story telling game.

When we got to high school we started a "Simulations" club (we couldn't call it Dungeons & Dragons without raising the ire of the school officials) to attract more players. I even met my future wife through the club.

I've played all versions up to 3.5. I've still got lots of stories to explore and tell before I make the jump to 4.x. I'd guess this all qualifies me as being an "old timer"!

CelestialBarbarian

02-09-2009, 11:17 PM

I agree with this also about 90% - in college when you have new friends who go all out to make you welcome, and later help out even when they don't have to.
Some of my best friends have been made through gaming, and some others I've strengthened my ties with them through gaming.
I started gaming about 1979 - 1st ed. after 6 months of playing started DMing. I guess our DM and one of my best friends liked my style, and I haven't stopped running or playing in games. I lost that same friend when he died on my 18th birthday in a car accident - his parents passed all his gaming gear and books to me.:(
The friends made in those 30 years . . . wow:)!!!

Though why is it that as gamers when we get the occasional bone head they're real pieces of work! :mad:

Jim

Jim, I'm really sorry about the loss of your friend. That must have been rough all those years ago.

As for the boneheads, I've often said that D&D player are some of the most brilliant, creative, dysfunctional people I've known. :biggrin:

I think I started playing in 1976. Could have been a year or 2 later. I just remember how relieved I was that there was a combat game that my friend wouldn't always kick my butt at. I came to hate the term "war game" and Avalon Hill:o, but found I loved this new combat/story telling game.

When we got to high school we started a "Simulations" club (we couldn't call it Dungeons & Dragons without raising the ire of the school officials) to attract more players. I even met my future wife through the club.

I've played all versions up to 3.5. I've still got lots of stories to explore and tell before I make the jump to 4.x. I'd guess this all qualifies me as being an "old timer"!

Why did school official object to Dungeons and Dragons back in 1976? Nobody had heard of it yet and it hadn't developed its "devil worship" reputation yet. I saw kids at my high school playing the game in the cafeteria as far back as 1977 I think. (I graduated in 1978, so it could have just been earlier that year.) I thought it seemed pretty silly that they were trying to pretend to be Gandalf and Legolas. On the floor of my residence hall (at University of Illinois!) though my freshman year we had a huge D&D group (mostly sophomores, although the DM was a senior), and I eventually got pulled in.

I'm really amazed at all the old-timers here! It's great!

upidstay

02-10-2009, 06:34 AM

Original poster here. Man, this post sure grew and has stayed popular!

I met one of my best friends in the world across the gaming table. We have been friends for almost 20 years now.

tesral

02-10-2009, 01:47 PM

Original poster here. Man, this post sure grew and has stayed popular!

Because we're OLD!

cpljarhead

02-10-2009, 05:42 PM

yeah i feel as old as i look. i've been freinds with someone 33 years now and until we separated into the military we had played every day we've known ewach other. still in contact though he is in north carolina and im in pennsylvania. i now share dming with another in the current group i play with and all of us have been playing since 1st edition basic came out.

tesral

02-10-2009, 05:58 PM

I've been playing D&D so long my Dice collect social security.

Webhead

02-10-2009, 07:13 PM

I've been playing D&D so long my Dice collect social security.

At least they get Social Security. By the time I'm eligible for it, there won't be any left for me to claim! :usa2:

CelestialBarbarian

02-10-2009, 10:15 PM

At least they get Social Security. By the time I'm eligible for it, there won't be any left for me to claim! :usa2:

I think that's possible for me too. Fortunately I'm poor and don't make much, so the government doesn't get to steal much! :rolleyes:

nijineko

02-11-2009, 01:24 AM

a good friend of mine, whom i met through an rpg utility site, is running an unusual campaign world. his dm created the world, and seriously fleshed it out. but then his dm died, and the gaming stuff became his. he continues his friends campaign to this day. i thought that was seriously awesome when i heard the tale.

Webhead

02-11-2009, 10:27 AM

a good friend of mine, whom i met through an rpg utility site, is running an unusual campaign world. his dm created the world, and seriously fleshed it out. but then his dm died, and the gaming stuff became his. he continues his friends campaign to this day. i thought that was seriously awesome when i heard the tale.

Wow! That is touching...

cpljarhead

02-11-2009, 11:48 AM

that ia a great way to honor someone who you've been good freinds with for a long time. continue something he believed in (the campaign world he created). maybe you could find a way to share that world and we all could honor his passsing in playing his world in some way. that would truly be a great honor in my opinion!!!!

Silmon

02-13-2009, 12:36 PM

I have been playing around my 13th birthday in 1979.

tesral

02-13-2009, 01:40 PM

You were playing around at 13? :evil:

1976, I had to discover the game first. I was 18. I had been war gaming since about 72.